William Stout
Write the first paragraph of your page here. Archetypal In the first ten chapters Jane is seen acting as mulptiple different archetypes. Even in the first couple of pages it was obvious that Jane was a hero becasue heroes tend to be born into unfortunate circumstances. Within the first couple of pages we see how unfortunate her circumstances are. For example, Mrs. Reed screams at Jane saying, "You are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep," (Bronte 14). She is living in a household in which the authority figure says that she does not even have the worth of a servant. This proves indeffinately that she has been born into unfortunate circumstances, which gives her the makings of a hero. Jane is also seen as a scapegoat in the first ten chapters. Jane claims that John Reed, "Bullied and punished her; not two or three times in a week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually," (Bronte 11). Little Jane is innocent and blameless, yet John Reed singles her out to punish and abuse. This is why Jane is a scapegoat; she gets everyones anger taken out on her and she has to resist from retaliation even though the treatment is unjust. Also, John Reed could also be the trickster archetype. He is an angel in Mrs. Reed's eyes, but we know how horrible he is to Jane behind the scenes. In my opinion, Bronte uses these archetypes to help us relate to the story more. I know a John Reed in my life so i understand what Jane is going through. Chapters 11-20 In these last nine chapters, some new archetypes present themselves profoundly. First, Jane and Rochester are star crossed lovers. For example, as the party at Thornfield finally comes to an end, Rochester says, "Good-night my--," and then, "Stops bites his lip, and walks away abruptly," (Bronte 247). It has been made obvious by Bronte that Jane is very intrigued and interested in Rochester. It is made known when she becomes sad and jealous when she hears about the beautiful Blanche. Now it is obvious how much interest Rochester has taken in Jane. He almost prematurely tells Jane that he loves her. However, the one aspect that makes them star crossed lovers is there inability to be openly in love with one another. Jane is a lowly governess and Rochester is a high class proprietor of a high class estate. Even though Rochester assures Jane that he is only superior in age, there is still a social class barrier created by the Victorian era. No matter how much they love each other, Jane and Rochester can never be together while also being accepted in their society. This archetype is used to expose the role of social class in victorian societies. It is so prominent that it can keep two lovers apart. This causes Rochester to pick a perfect looking high class woman named Blanche in order to reach the standards of his society. She fits every characteristic of a classic temptress archetype. For example, as women are entering the house for the party Jane says, "There are the honorable Blanche and Mary Ingram, the most beautiful women," (Bronte 216). Rochester feels obligated to choose Blanche instead of his true love, Jane. Blanche being the temptress shows that society can creat a perfect being in the eyes of the world in which one feels obligated to pay attention to. Chapters 21-30 In these past ten chapters, many archetypes that were identified earlier still hold true to chapter thirty. For example, Jane and Rochester were labled as star-crossed lovers. In most cases the two lovers will never be able to be together, just as Jane realizes that she can never be with Rochester. We also see Jane's heroic qualities still in current chapters when she goes through the heartbreak of loosing trust for Rochester. One brand new archetype that presented itelf in these last ten chapters was the crossroads. The crossroads archetype is characterized as a place or time of decision when a realization is made. As Jane and Rochester are nearly married, Jane along with others discover the secret of the third floor that Rochester has hidden from everyone. A savage woman named Bertha is revealed to Jane and she is told that this was and still is Rochester's wife. Jane looses all trust in Rochester but forgives him. However, she can hardly believe her ears as Rochester asks her, "...to make her his mistress," (Bronte 421). Rochester shows the reader earlier how he hates the idea of having a mistress; therfore, Jane is confused. However, although Jane would not technically be Rochester's wife, it is still a very tempting offer to be with the only man who has ever loved Jane. However, Jane decides to, "Flee temptation," which leads her to, "Open the door, and pass out softly," (Bronte 441-442). Jane makes a very tough but respectable decision to leave a very inticing scenario because of her strong morals. Jane could not live with herself if she fell into passivity and stayed with a man who would only bring her heartache. This is becasue of how highly Jane holds herself in esteem. Most women in the victorian era would have come crawling back to Rochester without any hesitation becasue most women didn't have any power within their marriage. However, Jane rejects the passivity and shows how unique of a woman she is and how strong a character she has. One last archetype that presents itself in Jane Eyre so far is the Haven vs. Wilderness setting. This is described as places of safety which contrast sharply with dangerous wilderness. Jane goes from a paradise at Thornfield with Rochester, to the streets where she is forced to sleep and beg for food. Jane finally catches a break and is taken in by a generous family who helps her regain health. Jane goes from a haven in Thornfeild to a wilderness in the streets to a haven with St. John and his family. Chapters 31-38 In past chapters Rochester and Jane had been identified as star crossed lovers who could never be together considering their circumstances. However, these star crossed lovers broke the archetype by proving that they couldn't not be together. They grow and mature and prove the label of star crossed lovers to be wrong by getting married. One new archetype that appears in these chapters is a symbolic archetype known as supernatural intervention. For example, when rochester is at his lowest and most helpless place in his life he claims that he, "Exclaimed 'Jane! Jane! Jane!' A voice--I cannot tell whence the voice came, but I knew whose voice it was--replied, 'I am coming: wait for me,'" (Bronte 621).Some may say this was fate intervening. However, this is a supernatural occurrence and God is speaking to the both of them. He is making a profound appearance in both of their lives. He gives them both clear signals that being together is his plan. Without the intervention of God, Jane and Rochester would have never found each other for the second time, which would have prevented a very pure and beautiful relationship from coming to fruition. This archetype like all, have a reason for being placed in the story. No archetype lacks an underlying meaning. In Bronte's case, this archetype helps her display her theme more clearly. Living in the Victorian English era, Christianity was forced upon Bronte. Therefore, she grew up very Christian oriented. Bronte is trying to tell the reader that a human cannot be fulfilled by solely finding love. There is a void in all of our hearts and only god can fill it. When Jane returns to Rochester, after God's intervention, her relationship with him is flawless and pure because her she has the influence of God on her side. One last archetype that I have noticed Is represented by St. John. In my opinion he is a trickster. For example, as he is trying to persuade Jane to come with him to do his missionary work Jane says, "(she) felt as if an awful charm was forming around (her)," (Bronte 555). St. John is portrayed as a selfless missionary who is trying to complete the work of god. However, he is very manipulative to Jane and only Jane is aware of this. He has jane transfixed almost as if she is under his spell. However, to outsiders, he is a viewed as a harmless Christian.